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Thirty per cent of all direct payments in the next CAP could be tied to agri-environmental schemes.
The greening payment which currently forms 30% of entitlement values is to be scrapped and replaced by eco-schemes.
Ireland will be obliged to offer an eco-scheme but it will be optional for farmers to enter it.
Under proposals from the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, these schemes will make up at least 20% of all direct payments.
However, an amendment to be voted on by the agriculture committee in the European Parliament next week proposes raising this to 30%.
In the current CAP, Ireland receives €1.2bn in direct payments, of which €360m (30%) is attached to greening.
The next CAP will see this €360m or the lower amount of €240m (20%) moved to a scheme where farmers would be required to complete actions to receive payment.
Farmers who choose not to enter the scheme would lose this proportion of their payment.
Farmers will be able to opt in or out on an annual basis.
Until now, agri-environmental schemes such as GLAS have been multi-annual schemes.
SHARING OPTIONS: